Below you'll find MLA Tim McLeod's Report from the Legislature for May 9, 2024.
The views expressed below are solely the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official stance of Golden West.
As Saskatchewan’s population and economy continue to grow, our government remains committed to investing in our growing workforce. The 2024-25 provincial budget invests in growing Saskatchewan’s workforce through the advanced education sector, workforce training programs and enhanced credential recognition.
Investing in Saskatchewan’s present and future at the post-secondary education level is a priority for our government. The budget provides $793 million for the Ministry of Advanced Education – an increase of $28.2 million, or 3.7 per cent, from last year – to enhance funding, expand health training programs and focus on key infrastructure projects.
This includes a one-time, $12 million top-up to the province’s current multi-year funding agreement with post-secondary institutions, an increase of 2.2 per cent. The increased funding will allow the institutions to remain responsive to the needs of students and the labour market.
The budget also provides nearly $15 million in new funding to train additional health care workers through the Health Human Resources Action Plan. This includes an operating increase of $11.4 million for new seats across several programs.
Through the Health Human Resources Action Plan, over 610 new seats will be added to training programs for various professions, with a focus on high-demand and hard-to-recruit professions, such as registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, primary care paramedics and continuing care assistants. A total of 600 new seats will be added in nursing programs, including registered nursing, nurse practitioner and registered psychiatric nursing programs. In addition, 32 seats will be added to the undergraduate medical education program.
Our government is also investing $3.6 million this year in new opportunities for students to train in health sciences programs in the province. These include physician assistant, speech language pathology, occupational therapy and respiratory therapy.
Saskatchewan post-secondary institutions receive nearly $725 million in operating and capital grants in this year’s budget. This includes funding to help the Western College of Veterinary Medicine explore an infrastructure expansion. Meanwhile, Indigenous Teacher Education programs will continue to receive funding, supporting the preservation and revitalization of Indigenous languages in the province.
To assist students pursuing post-secondary education, the budget includes $4.2 million in new funding to create a new provincial grant for low-income students with dependents under 12, or over 12 with a permanent disability. This new grant is part of $46.5 million for overall student supports in the budget, which includes $34.4 million for the Student Aid Fund (repayable and non-repayable financial assistance to more than 22,000 students each year) and $12.2 million for scholarships and bursaries.
To help post-secondary students remain in Saskatchewan as they transition to their careers, the budget continues to fund the Graduate Retention Program – the most generous support program of its kind in Canada. The program provides up to $20,000 in tax credits to post-secondary graduates who remain in the province to work. More than 81,600 students have benefited from the program, which provides $65 million in support annually.
To help meet current and future labour market needs in our growing province, the Ministry of Immigration and Career Training receives $160.5 million in the budget. This includes continued support for skills training programs and services for unemployed or underemployed persons. These include adult essential skills training, pre-employment programs and services, credentialled skills training programs delivered through post-secondary institutions, and employment for persons with disabilities.
The budget includes an increase of $1.5 million for the Saskatchewan Apprenticeship Trade Certification Commission to add 250 additional seats for construction-related trades, including electrician, plumbing and welding. This increases the investment in apprenticeship training to $22.9 million and expands the number of training seats to 4,700.
To support the Health Human Resources Action Plan, our government will invest in training and settlement supports for in-demand health professions. This includes training seats for continuing care aides, licensed practical nurses and medical lab assistants.
The Ministry’s budget also includes $856,000 to support record nominations through the Saskatchewan Immigrant Nominee Program, which will help address the labour needs of Saskatchewan employers. Safeguards are being added to the program to enhance fraud detection and protect its integrity.
Additionally, the Labour Mobility and Fair Registration Practices Office will continue to help individuals with foreign credentials or those who are licensed in other provinces navigate the licensure process with their respective regulators. This is another effort to ensure we have a skilled workforce and trained professionals in place to support our growing economy.
As our government continues investing in Saskatchewan’s workforce, we look forward to hearing your feedback. You can contact my constituency office at 306-692-8884 or mjnorthmla@sasktel.net.